Trailers of the Week: ‘Betaal,’ ‘Becoming’ and Comedy Galore

1. Betaal

This modern-day zombie drama pits history against the present when a two-century-old British Indian Army officer rises with a battalion of the undead. In a remote Indian village, the enemy is as much the outsider as it is the familiar evil. The clip opens and a group of villagers surround an old, closed-off tunnel. An elder bellows, “If this tunnel is opened, the curse will destroy everyone.” Suspicious authorities send a security force lead by Vikram Sirohi (Viineet Kumar) to investigate. When the team enters, they find bodies of men fused to the walls. No place is safe anymore and the only way to survive is to take care of the dead in this Netflix series. The ravenous army is unleashed and the villagers intone: “outsiders are coming.” (May 24)

2. I Love Everything

American comedian Patton Oswalt returns to Netflix with a new stand-up special titled I Love Everything. The trailer opens on a positive note with Oswalt telling viewers he just bought a house. He’s looking for a wallpaper guy and the contractor knows just the right man. “This dude is Michaelangelo. He’s a little sketchy but your wallpaper is going to look amazing,” he says. The clip offers a glimpse into the Emmy and Grammy award-winning comedian’s set where among juggling new responsibilities, Oswalt is also imagining a man named Kirby. (May 19)

3. Trial by Media

This docuseries reflects on how the modern media landscape has influenced the most memorable trials in the U.S.’s recent history. Trail by Media delves into the Jenny Jones made-for-Court TV murder trials (1995), the murder of Amadou Diallo (1999)–an unarmed African immigrant who was shot 41 times by the NYPD–and the downfall of former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich (2008), among other cases. A man says at one point: “When you turn a courtroom into a studio, you’ve to turn reality into a story.” The six-part Netflix series pieces together how the press have contributed to reshaping public perception about guilt or innocence before, during and after a trial. (May 11)

4. The Most Interesting Person In The Room

In his third solo stand-up special, comedian Kenny Sebastian gets down to the specifics. “What is the minimum requirement to be a human being?” he poses to viewers. Melding music and comedy, the clip sees Sebastian dip into mundane observations to turn them existential. Life after all is just like a certificate of participation, as the 29-year-old comedian finds out. The trailer for the Netflix one-hour offers a glimpse at a harmonium and guitar playing Sebastian who while questioning how obnoxiously photogenic cheetahs are, also delivers an ode to the dependable chappal (slipper). “Everyone’s wearing it!” he says. (May 29)

5. Becoming 

Former U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama is unplugged for the first time in the Netflix documentary Becoming. The clip traces Obama’s journey from her growing years to the present, to chronicle her life before and after Barrack Obama’s eight-year presidency. “So little of who I am happened in those eight years. So much more of who I was happened before,” she says. Old pictures and footage interlace with the new as Obama speaks to Americans, especially the youth. Obama reflects on how her high-school guidance counselor once told her that she was reaching too high. “We can’t wait for the world to be equal to start feeling seen,” she tells a young woman who asks her how black women persevere despite systemic obstacles. The clip sees Obama tap into the power of community to bridge the divides that separate us. She speaks her story and she listens, and we see how each story breaks down barriers. (May 6)

6. Mr. Family Man           

Bengaluru-based comedian Praveen Kumar is known for his “clean comedy” and in his latest stand-up special, the comic takes on the everyday, family man. Christening him the “superhero,” the clip sees the comic delve into real-life stories of the man of the house, detailing why he thinks the family man is the quintessential superhero the world needs right now. (May 8)

7. Loser

Set between 1980 to 2000, this sports-drama delves into the lives of Pallavi (Pavani), Willson (Shashank) and Elder Rubi (Kalpika), three sportspersons who are up against social, political and financial odds. As they find themselves on the rise in their chosen sport, the clip charts their struggles from the ground to beyond. In this ZEE5 series, the sportspersons answer the call to carve a space for themselves, overarching every obstacle in their path. (May 15)